Positional
Analysis

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49ers Positional Analysis QB
January 21 2002
By Bryan Hersh of 49ers Paradise
Perhaps the most controversial position in the 49ers line-up is at
quarterback where Jeff Garcia's ability is under constant debate between
those who love, and those who hate him. Anyway you look at it
though, Garcia (barring injury) will be back in 2002 as the starting
quarterback of the 49ers. Garcia's accomplishments with the team
over the past two seasons include throwing for thirty or more touchdowns
in two consecutive seasons, throwing for over 3000 yards in two
consecutive seasons, two Pro Bowl trips among other various personal
accomplishments. While Garcia may not have the strong arm of Brett
Favre, he is clearly in the elite class of quarterbacks and should be
good enough to take the 49ers all the way.

After Garcia the 49ers have quite a bit of depth but are not overly
talented. Tim Ratty was the backup quarterback to Garcia this past
season and saw a little action in games where the 49ers locked up the
win early. Ratty is still very raw and doesn't have a great grasp
of the 49ers offence yet. The 49ers plans for him are still quite
unclear. This past season it was quite evident that the team
lacked confidence in him carrying the team if Garcia went down for a
significant amount of time - that lead to the resigning of Rick Mirer.

Rick Mirer spent about half of the season not on the 49ers
roster. When he was re-signed, Mirer moved into the third
quarterback position. He did not see any action this past season,
but the 49ers seem to like him in a backup role.

The team also has Giovanni Carmazzi a third round draft pick from two
seasons ago, with a strong arm, and lots of athletic ability.
Having spent the year on the non-football injury list, Carmazzi may have
had time to learn the playbook but did not get any opportunity to run
the plays. Despite his extraordinary raw talent his position on
the team will be up for grabs this coming season. If he sticks
around, the 49ers could be grooming him to eventually take over for Jeff
Garcia.

The 49ers seem to be in very good position at quarterback. It
isn't however inconceivable that they look for a quarterback in the
middle rounds of the draft. While Jeff Garcia is effective, he has
yet to show the 'superstar' talent and the ability to take a team deep
into the playoffs. The 49ers may want to position themselves to
have some take over for Garcia in the next few years.